To this day mystery surrounds the circumstances under which Mozart was commissioned by a stranger to write a Requiem Mass. He died before its completion, only adding to the air of foreboding that the work so effectively evokes and reminding us of the fragility of our mortality.
"this performance beneifts from marvellous sound and shows Davis secure in his tempo choices and bringing that combination of solemnity, grandeur and drama ... Soprano Marie Arnet’s pristine tone and flawless intonation make her near ideal" Sound **** Performance *****
"a deeply felt account of a masterpiece from a conductor who has lived with this music for most of his professional life"
The Best of the Year
"this is a grandly scaled, nobly contoured reading, by turns monumental and ferociously dramatic. With biting choral attack, searing, spitting strings and scything trumpets, the Dies Irae has a terrifying intensity I have rarely heard equalled. The Rex tremendae, too, is overwhelming in its desparate fervour ... superbly played and vividly recorded"
